Visiting College Campuses

By Sara Cronin - Senior Admissions Consultant

 

As the spring weather begins to warm, seniors begin to receive their college admission decisions. It is also an opportune time for juniors to begin planning their college visits. February and March are great months to begin to visit colleges that might be interesting and worth learning more about while the colleges are still in session. Too often, however, students spend too little time on a campus during these visits to garner enough knowledge to make a truly informed decision about the colleges they are considering. While you are planning your spring and summer visits, here are some ideas to help you have more comprehensive and informative college campus visits this spring, summer and fall.

 

When you plan out your campus visit, break down the trip by the elements of college life that you are most likely to experience. Most families spend only 2-3 hours on a campus, and nearly all of that time is consumed by the information session and guided tour. We feel that too many students do not really take the time to explore the campus in more depth to get a better sense of what the campus culture and vibe is at a given school. Here are ten suggestions to help you have a more complete campus visit.

 

1) The Admissions Office - Information Session/Tour/Interview (if applicable).

Ø      Most everyone makes it a point to stop here. The admissions office is where you will be marketed to by the staff and told about all the wonderful features of the college. You also can get various pieces of literature and campus maps to devise a plan of attack for your visit. Ask for a course catalog in order to learn more about the courses that are available in the subjects that interest you.

Ø      The "information session" is filtered by representatives of the university trained to "market" all of the great aspects of the campus. Start here to get the nuts and bolts of the schools, but plan on searching a little deeper to learn more about some of your specific interests and needs.

 

2) Dining Hall/Meals - Find out where the students eat everyday and whether the facilities and food quality are up to your expectations and/or dietary needs. This is an important part of college life

Ø      Will you be eating at pizza shops everyday or is the quality of the university meal plans serviceable?

Ø      Ask people about the food, but more importantly experience it yourself by having a

 

3) Your top academic department interests - Is the department cramped in a basement office with little opportunity to congregate as a field, or are their library resources, common study areas and conference rooms for those in the major to interact?

Ø      Look at the resources available such as the number of faculty, classes offered and available facilities to make observations of the university's commitment to the department.

Ø      When you visit a department that interests you, is there someone willing/able to answer some of your questions about the department? A helpful person within a department might give you a sense about the personal attention given to undergraduates.

Ø      Prior to your campus visit, you should call ahead to arrange an opportunity to meet with a faculty member or student in your field of interest.

 

4) Visit Places where you'll study, conduct research and communicate

Ø Visit the library. Is the technology up to date? Is this a place where students go to study, hang out or work on group projects?

Ø  What are the computing facility, wireless technology options and the communication tools used to connect students and faculty together?

Ø  Are there places for students outside of their rooms and the library that are conducive to studying?

 

5) Career Center

Ø   Visit the career services office and find out what recent graduates are doing for employment

Ø  Can students who do not qualify for work study find on-campus jobs?

Ø  How does the Career Center help students who attend school outside of that institutions regional sphere of influence find internships and full-time employment?

Ø  What percentage of students attend graduate school within five years? What is the admissions rate for graduates applying to graduate school programs in your potential field of interest?

 

6) Student Center/Athletic Complex/Recreation Center- Where do students socialize, work-out and gather? Do students disperse throughout campus or are there areas that attract students for academic and social purposes?

Ø     When spending time on a campus, spend 30 minutes having a soda and watch the students and people interact in the student center, the common spaces or outside (weather permitting) to get a better sense of the college energy and student interaction.

Ø   Pick up a student newspaper to read it on your drive home. This will give you a sense of the climate on campus and get you in touch with the current events at the school.

 

7) Computing Centers, Classrooms, and Lecture Halls. Visit places where you will be spending much of your classroom time. What is the quality of these facilities? Are they wireless? Are they quiet and spacious? Is technology a big component in the teaching classrooms and/or laboratories?

 

8) Dorms and Residential Life - Sometimes difficult to gain access outside of a tour, but worth seeing the single, double and triple rooms that colleges offer students. Are the suites cramped or spacious? Do the students have guaranteed housing for four years? If students move off-campus where do they go and does the school help to find this housing?

 

9) Most interesting student clubs and organizations you are considering. Visit the newspaper office, the athletic department, theatres, student volunteer group, etc. Finding where the student organizations are located and what they have to offer can give you a better sense of the community.

 

10) Visit campus museums or exhibits offered during your trip. You might want to look ahead to open lectures, museums and special exhibits that appeal to you.

 

11) Explore on your own! Getting off the beaten path and seeing some of the non-structured touring information can be really interesting and helpful. Take a look off-campus as well. Are there opportunities nearby for students to enjoy? If the campus is in the city get a sense of the surrounding neighborhoods. If the campus is more suburban or rural find out what is available off campus and where it is located.

 

12) Talk with students who are undergraduates to get a sense of their ideas of the campus, if you are visiting during the school year.

 

Take notes, make observations, and think about the trip before, during and after the experience. It is important to make some well-informed opinions vs. simply emotional decisions based on the traffic, size, location, admissions tour and "feel" without considering the long-term and day to day experiences you will have on the campus. A good campus visit can take 5-6 hours, and while many families are trying to squeeze 2-3 visits in per day, you might be missing out on learning about some of the strengths or weaknesses that could provide you a more accurate view of the college experience. Keep a notebook of thoughts and information to help you to remember your visit and sift through both the positives and negatives of all that you encountered.